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- A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, causing the moon to temporarily cast its shadow on Earth, appearing to darken the sun.

- The sun is 400 times larger than the moon, but it is also approximately 400 times farther away, making the sun and moon appears the same size during an eclipse.

- Solar eclipses are not uncommon. They happen about twice a year. But total eclipses are only visible to those in the path of the moon’s shadow as it crosses the Earth.

- Some phenomena known to accompany eclipses include a stillness in the air and birds coming to roost and falling silent. There is often a 10 to 15 degree drop in temperature.

- A total solar eclipse has not been visible from the United States since 1979. Not many people witnessed that eclipse because the path just clipped five states in the Northwest and the skies were cloudy.

NASA

- The centerline will cross 12 states, but everyone in the continental Unites States will see at least a partial eclipse.

- Nashville is the only large metropolitan city that will experience the total eclipse. Portland will see a 99 percent eclipse and Atlanta will see 97 percent eclipse. Half of Kansas City and half of St Louis, Missouri, are in the path of the total eclipse.

- Only those in path of the total eclipse will experience seeing the sun’s corona, the bright ring around the edge of the moon’s shadow, and stars in the daytime.

- As the moon moves in front of the sun, several bright points of light, known as Baily’s Beads, shine around the moon's edges. They are the sun’s light rays streaming through the valleys along the moon's horizon.

- South Carolina is expected to see an influx of visitors because it will be the nearest spot within the path of totality for at least 100 million Americans in the Atlantic Seaboard and Florida.

- The eclipse will cross the United States from Oregon to South Carolina in 94 minutes. The states in the path are Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina.

- The longest possible eclipse is seven minutes and 32 seconds, but one of that duration won’t happen until June 13, 2132.

- The last contact the eclipse will have with the United States is in the Atlantic Ocean, just south of Key Bay, S.C.

- The only safe way to look directly at the eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun.

- Viewers are warned to not look at the partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device even while using eclipse glasses or a hand-held solar viewer because the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and cause serious eye injury.

- NASA says only four manufacturers have certified that their eclipse glasses and handheld solar viewers meet the international standard: Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics, Thousand Oaks Optical and TSE 17.

- Once the total eclipse happens, it is safe to look at it, and eclipse enthusiasts recommend you do. The corona is more visible to the naked eye than through binoculars, so it is recommended that for the more than 2 minutes of total eclipse, viewers simply look at it.

- The path of the eclipse will be 60 to 70 miles wide.

- The next total solar eclipse over the continental United States occurs April 8, 2024. Its path passes through Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, western New York, the northwest corner of Vermont and Maine.